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VALENCIA (CBSLA.com) — The king of wooden roller coasters will soon be no more.

Six Flags Magic Mountain has announced that Colossus, at one point the fastest and tallest wooden coaster in the world, will close after 36 years.

Colossus, still one of the largest wooden coasters in existence, opened on June 29, 1978. The big, white coaster is one of the most recognizable rides of Magic Mountain, sitting front and center of the park’s land, and easily identifiable from the 5 freeway.

For many Southern Californians, Colossus, the first coaster to feature two drops of 100 feet, was the first major coaster they had ever been on, and they consider the ride’s closing the end of an era.

“I’m so sad that it’s closing,” park goer Sable Williams said. “I remember when I was a kid, and I used to go on the ride, and I went with my mom and my dad and we all sat (through) the whole ride together.”

For years, the three-and-a-half minute ride of Colossus was considered one of the highest and fasted in the world.

Colossus was featured in films such as National Lampoon’s Vacation and on television shows like Step-By-Step.

“I think it’s sad, just because it’s like, you know, the original roller coaster, and that was like the big thing,” park goer Jessica Adams said.

The park says the have plans to build a more up-do-date ride on the land currently occupied by the classic coaster.